Soil and land preparation

You’ll require a well-drained loamy soil that has s good water holding capacity. The second important point is to ensure the soil PH is in the range of 5.7-6.5.

You can measure the soil PH yourself with the aid of a specialized PH meter, or send to a soil’s lab near you.

Once, satisfied with your soil properties, till your land accordingly to get a proper tilth. If possible add some composted manure into the soil to improve its structure.

Compost also guarantees that the soil has a good water holding capacity and enhances a better cation exchange capacity (C.E.C).

Habanero peppers grow extremely well in raised beds.

Therefore, make raised beds spaced 1.5 to 2 meters apart from their centers and cover them with a black plastic mulch.

Whenever possible, install a drip system which has proven to utilize water efficiently and increase the yields.

Habanero pepper seeds

Your choice of seeds will determine your success. It’s always advisable that you buy only high quality certified seeds. If you’re in Kenya, I’d advise you to buy ‘super habanero’ by Amiran or your favorite stockiest.

The habanero seeds are relatively small. So, you need to start them in a nursery bed, then thin them out so that only strong healthy seedlings remain.

Once the seedlings have attained at least six mature leaves, it’s time to transplant them.

Planting and mulching

As earlier mentioned, mulching is very necessary to help keep the root zone warm and conserve water. Make sure that you mulch using a black plastic mulch that can absorb and retain heat much better.

Cut the holes on the black plastic mulch and then plant your transplants. Plant your seedlings in double rows of between 35 to 45cm apart and 40 to 60cm between the plants in a row.

Typically, a one-acre piece of land should easily accommodate about 10,000 to 14,000 habanero plants.

Irrigation and fertilizer application

Habanero pepper requires a lot of high quality water to flourish. The water consumption ranges 25 to 30 inch of water throughout the growing season or 2-3inch per week.

This is again the reason why you need to make use of drip technology as well as mulch your crop.

Ensure to water or irrigate the peppers infrequently and yet deep enough.

When it comes to fertilizer application, make a feeding recipe based on a soil analysis report.

Take your soil samples to a soils lab near you to check which nutrients are deficient or otherwise.

However, when growing the habanero pepper, the rule of the thumb, is to apply Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK) at the rate of 18:18:36 kilograms per acre at planting and 18:18:32 kilograms per acre injected through the drip over the growing season.

Pest management

Most peppers like any other crops are susceptible to a number of pests. The most common for habaneros is the blossom end rot caused by calcium deficiency.

To prevent blossom end rot from becoming a problem, ensure that you minimize deep watering during the flowering period.

Insects are equally notorious and it’s important to make use of sticky traps and insect nets in your habanero farm to keep them at bay.

After harvesting, grade your peppers according to color, size, as well as check for any deformities or pests. Packaging and labeling should be done according to Good Handling Practices (GHP).

Then arrange for precooling as soon as possible to improve the shelf life of the fruits. Proper storage at 90 – 96% relative humidity, and under temperatures between 8-13ºC will extend the shelf life by 14 – 21 days.

According to Texas A&M University, habanero peppers yield between 4.5 to 9 tons/acre, with an average of 6.81 tons per acre.

In Kenya, the price for habanero pepper ranges between Kshs. 80 to Kshs. 120 per kilogram depending on the growing season and prevailing market demand.

Most at times the price average is always at Kshs.100.

Let’s do the math.

6.81 tons of produce per acre = 6810kgs/acre

1kg = Kshs. 100

6,810kgs = 100*6,810/1

Which equals to Kshs. 681,000 per acre in 120 days.

With an estimated production cost of Kshs.200, 000,

You make a profit of Kshs.681, 000-Kshs.200, 000 = 481,000 or $4,810 in 120 days.

Assuming you never have to lift a finger for the rest of the year, you’ll still make Kshs.40,000 per month for one year!

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42 comments

Hi my name is moses Lee room Malaysia. I m interested on this superb idea.. But where cN I buy the seedling? How long can I keep on the seedling. Should I frozen those seed. I seen this super habanero chili while on holiday to sarawak.(East of Malaysia) but small in size. Appreciate if you can help me out. Thk you

Wonderful post!!!! I love that you explain in simple straightforward manner the facts. In addition, there is a need to spread the word that chilis are high in vitamin c contents and other micro-nutrients above and beyond the fact that it will improve taste of highly processed food like in Amrica

I’ve already grown them and got a descent profit out of them. The only correction I can make is that they can be harvested twice in a week for as long as they live in their 2- 3 life span. In Uganda, they r specifically for export and we have also had a chance to introduce pheromones that kill some fruit fly pests hence a reduction in spraying pressure. Also, they need a good start with manures more so with chicken litter and during flowering they need an NPK fertilizer to supplement on the chicken manure. I recently ventured into chilly and now busy looking for a business partner so that we can do something on reasonable acreage and in the right nutritional way. Spacing should also be a standard 90cm apart. Any reduction from that reduces yields as space, light penetration, agrochemical sprays etc don’t reach the plant so well. I’ve seen that all in my previous trials. For additional infor/ partnership, I’m on blickd@yahoo.co.uk

Panamanian peppers are types of Scott Bonnet. People confuse them with habaneros because of their close resemblance, owing to the fact that Habanero and Scott Bonnet both belong to the same species of chili pepper (Capsicumchinese)

The habaneros will perform optimally in most altitudes ranging from 1200 to 2000 meters above sea level. However, lower altitudes are mostly preferred. So yes, they can perform well in some parts of Kisii as well long as the soil conditions are favorable.

Thank u chris. Am bless in uganda…i have already started the business but am mainly in chilli..i have about 4500 plants and plants are planted in banana plantations and they are now 1months after harvesting but am woundering whether the requirements for chilli and habonero are the same. Advise about the pests, and soil requirements for my chilli. And @blickd tel me the market in uganda ..thanx

Derrick Blink, Thank you for the information. Is Habanero Pepper the same as the hot pepper whick the KK foods buy? If so where can I get the seeds. I want to plant now, now. School fees is killing me. Am from Tororo.

Hi there, am a Liberian eagerly wanting to venture in this lucrative agribusiness for I have seen the unbelievable fortune it brings to the very few growers in my Country but how can I get quality seedlings of the discussed hybrid?

Hey folks, I am a Liberian from Liberia and I have had the passion for entrepreneurial pepper farming and I wish any of you guys can possibly be a help in getting the best seedlings of Habanero hybrid.